The 2019–20 U18 Premier League was the eighth season of the Professional Development League system for men's football. The U18 Premier League is the top-tier league and open only to Category One academies. A total of 24 teams are split regionally into north and south leagues. Teams face their regional opponents both home and away before the top two face each other to determine the national champion. The season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Derby County U18s are the defending Champions.
Tables Final league positions determined by Points Per Game methodology due to season curtailment. North
South <onlyinclude>
Season statistics Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Jay StansfieldFulham222 Tom CannonEverton163 Cole PalmerManchester City154 Jack StrettonDerby County155 Veron ParkesWest Ham United11 Lewis DobbinEverton U18s Layton StewartLiverpool6 James McAteeManchester City10 Armando BrojaChelsea Sebastian NebylaWest Ham United7 Joseph GibsonMiddlesbrough9 Jovan MalcolmWest Bromwich Albion Stefan VukojeBrighton & Hove Albion Thomas Dickson-PetersNorwich City Andre GodfrinneStoke City8 Kion EteteTottenham Hotspur8 Thomas HillLiverpool Lorent TolajBrighton & Hove Albion Jack TurnerSouthampton Kasey McAteerLeicester City Dylan StephensonNewcastle United Chanka ZimbaBlackburn Rovers9 Liam DelapManchester City7 Terell PennantLeicester City Anthony ElangaManchester United Jean-Pierre TiehiFulham Archie BrownDerby County Ademipo OdubekoWest Ham United Finley ThorndikeWest Bromwich Albion Joshua ThomasSwansea City
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date James McAtee Manchester City U18s Newcastle United U18s 7–1 (H) Jaden Philogene-Bidace Aston Villa U18sSwansea City U18s 3–3 (H) Tom Cannon4 Everton U18sSunderland U18s 10–0 (H) Lorent Tolaj4 Brighton & Hove Albion U18sArsenal U18s 3–6 (A) Jay Stansfield4 Fulham U18sWest Ham United U18s 5–1 (H) Sam Bellis Southampton U18sNorwich City U18s 0–5 (A) Jay Stansfield Fulham U18sSwansea City U18s 1–5 (A) Veron Parkes West Ham United U18sSwansea City U18s 2–8 (A) Jay Stansfield4 Fulham U18sNorwich City U18s 5–3 (H) Jovan Malcolm4 West Bromwich Albion U18sLiverpool U18s 6–3 (H) Rico Richards West Bromwich Albion U18sManchester United U18s 5–3 (H) Cole Palmer Manchester City U18sSunderland U18s 0–7 (A) Alex Robertson Manchester City U18sSunderland U18s 0–7 (A) Mipo Odubeko West Ham United U18sSouthampton U18s 0–5 (A) Joe Haigh Chelsea U18sSwansea City U18s 0–8 (A) Jack Turner Southampton U18sSwansea City U18s 5–0 (H) Layton Stewart Liverpool U18sSunderland U18s 4–0 (H) Tom Sparrow Stoke City U18sSunderland U18s 5–0 (H) Lewis Dobbin Everton U18sSunderland U18s 2–7 (A) Tom Cannon Everton U18sSunderland U18s 2–7 (A) Note (H) – Home; (A) – Away 4 – player scored 4 goals
Professional Development League 2
The 2019–20 U18 Professional Development League 2 season was the eighth campaign of post-EPPP under-18 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category Two status. A total of 21 teams were split regionally into north and south divisions, with each team facing opponents in their own region twice both home and away, and opponents in the other region once. The teams that finished in the top two places in both regions at the end of the season were supposed to advance to the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion, but the season was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Sheffield Wednesday U18s were the defending champions. No overall champions were awarded this season.
Wigan Athletic U18s acquired Category Two status in July 2019 and joined the North Division this season. Tables Final league positions determined by Points Per Game methodology due to season curtailment. North Division
South Division
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Kyle Joseph Wigan Athletic U18s15 Sean O'BrienMillwall U18s3 Dominic HutchinsonWatford U18s14 Hamzad KargboQueens Park Rangers U18s5 Sean McGurk Wigan Athletic U18s146 Abdul AbdulmalikMillwall U18s11 Luca AlbonCharlton Athletic U18s8 Tyrese BriscoeMillwall U18s12 Jake HutchinsonColchester United U18s10 Kieron EvansCardiff City U18s911 Sam AckroydSheffield United U18s8 Chris Conn-ClarkeBurnley U18s Tom Costello Wigan Athletic U18s Ntazana MayembeCardiff City U18s
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Rob Street Crystal Palace U18s Colchester United U18s 0–4 (A) Luca Albon Charlton Athletic U18sHull City U18s 7–1 (H) Joe Robbins Crewe Alexandra U18sIpswich Town U18s 4–4 (A) Adan George Birmingham City U18sCrystal Palace U18s 5–1 (H) Jake Hutchinson4 Colchester United U18sWigan Athletic U18s 5–6 (A) Lewis Reed Ipswich Town U18sColchester United U18s 6–1 (H) Chris Conn-Clarke Burnley U18sBirmingham City U18s 1–4 (A) Kyle Joseph Wigan Athletic U18sBolton Wanderers U18s 1–5 (A) Demarlio Brown-Sterling Bolton Wanderers U18sNottingham Forest U18s 2–4 (A) Henri Kumwenda Leeds United U18sCrewe Alexandra U18s 3–4 (A) Note (H) – Home; (A) – Away 4 – player scored 4 goals
League 3
League 3 is run by the Football League under the auspices of the Football League Youth Alliance. 47 teams participated, but only 46 competed this season, 2 fewer than the previous season. Bury U18s were expelled from the league and had their academy closed after their parent club Bury were expelled from the EFL, while Hartlepool United U18s and Wrexham U18s did not participate this season because they lost the EPPP License. Wigan Athletic U18s acquired Category Two status in July 2019 and joined the U18 Professional Development League 2 leaving the league. Salford City U18s joined the league this season after the first team got promoted. League stage
North-East Division
North-West Division
South-East Division
South-West Division
Merit League Stage The teams in the Southeast and Southwest Divisions played another ten games to determine the champions of Merit League One and Merit League Two. No champions were made as the Merit League Stage was just beginning. Merit League One
Merit League Two
See also 2019–20 in English football
References